CIT Faculty Awards
On Friday, March 30th, seven professors were recognized at the annual CIT Faculty Awards, which are given to faculty in recognition of their academic and research achievements. Each award has different criteria and requirements. Check out past award winners.
Steven J. Fenves Award for Systems Research: Nick Sahinidis, Swearingen Professor of Chemical Engineering
The Steven J. Fenves Award for Systems Research is made to one or more individuals within Carnegie Mellon who have made a significant contribution to systems research in areas relevant to the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES). Steven J. Fenves came to Carnegie Mellon as Professor and Head of Civil Engineering in 1972, and retired in 1999. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in applying computer methods to the practice of civil engineering.
Sahinidis is recognized for the development of novel rigorous algorithms for global optimization and their implementation in the software BARON, which has become the state-of-the-art code for determining the global optimum in nonlinear and mixed-integer nonlinear programming models.
Read more about Sahinidis' award.
George Tallman Ladd Research Award: Onur Mutlu, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Shawn Litster, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
The George Tallman Ladd Research Award is made to a faculty member within the Carnegie Institute of Technology in recognition of outstanding research and professional accomplishments and potential. George Tallman Ladd founded several companies bearing his name, and served many local civic organizations as a board member, including the Carnegie Institute. He was a trustee of Carnegie Tech from 1938 until his death in 1943.
Mutlu was awarded the Tallman award for his outstanding contributions in the development of concepts and implementations that enable very efficient, scalable, controllable, predictable, high-performance, and easy-to-program many-core systems.
Learn more about Mutlu's award.
Litster received the award for his outstanding research on transport phenomena in electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices, including the development of a unique micro-scale diagnostics technique that enables in-situ measurements within the porous electrodes of fuel cells and batteries.
Philip L. Dowd Fellowship Award: Erik Ydstie, Professor of Chemical Engineering, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Philip L. Dowd Fellowship is awarded to a faculty member within the Carnegie Institute of Technology to recognize educational contributions and to encourage the undertaking of an educational project such as textbook writing, educational technology development, laboratory experience improvement, educational software or course and curriculum development. The award was established by Philip and Marsha Dowd. Philip Dowd is a 1963 graduate of CIT and a trustee of Carnegie Mellon.
Ydstie was recognized for profound contributions to the revamping of the process control course in the Department of Chemical Engineering and for his efforts in writing a novel textbook that presents a new approach to process control education, integrating the principles of thermodynamics, transport processes and reaction engineering with the principles of modern computer control.
Learn more about Ydstie's award.
Outstanding Research Award: Lorenz T. Biegler, Bayer Professor of Chemical Engineering
The Outstanding Research Award is made to a faculty member or team within the Carnegie Institute of Technology in recognition of an exceptional research contribution that has enhanced the reputation of CIT in a global or national context.
Biegler received this award for pioneering contributions in large-scale nonlinear optimization theory and algorithms, particularly IPOPT, and their novel application to flowsheet optimization, process control, data reconciliation, and complex process applications.
See more about Biegler winning the Outstanding Research Award.
Benjamin Richard Teare Teaching Award: James F. Hoburg, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Benjamin Richard Teare Teaching Award is made to a faculty member within the Carnegie Institute of Technology in recognition of excellence in engineering education. In 1939, Benjamin Richard Teare’s headed the new electrical engineering graduate program at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Teare was involved with accreditation of engineering schools throughout the United States.
Hoburg was awarded for outstanding contributions to education in many ways, including through his excellence in classroom teaching, his leadership as a former Associate Department Head of ECE, and as an advocate for quality and rigor in education.
Read about Hoburg's recognition.
Distinguished Professor of Engineering Award: Mark Kryder, University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Distinguished Professor of Engineering Award is made to a faculty member within the Carnegie Institute of Technology in recognition of exceptional achievements that have enhanced the reputation of CIT. The basis for selection will be the degree to which the nominee has extraordinary research contributions; innovative and lasting contributions to education; sustained excellence in teaching; leadership in local, national or global initiatives and the impact of technology on society; and leadership in college or university initiative that have had significant impact on engineering education and research at Carnegie Mellon.
Kryder was recognized for his seminal contributions in the field of magnetic data storage for more than 30 years, which have had a major influence on the rapid advance of hard disk drives and CIT’s reputation as a leader in data storage technology, as well as his leadership in establishing and growing the CMU Data Storage Systems Center.
Read more about Kryder.